Top 5 Most Unusual Places in Italy

Unusual places in Italy are not difficult to find! Many will be unlike anything you have ever seen. The country has a rich history and cultural backdrop, so a few ‘eccentricities’ were bound to pop up over time! Here are our votes for the top 5 most unusual places in Italy:

1) Galleria Borbonica

– Vico del Grottone 4, 80132 Naples, Campania

What’s so unusual about the Bourbon Tunnel? Lots! It’s part of the 17th century Carmignano Aqueduct system. It was expanded in 1853 as an escape route for the Bourbons from the Royal Palace to the military barracks. Later, it was a WWII bomb shelter and hospital. Lastly, it was was an impound lot in the 70s. It still houses numerous discarded fascist statues, vintage cars and bikes! Learn more.

2) The Nautilus

– Via Cesare Battisti 60a, 41121 Modena (MO), Emilia-Romagna

Collectors of the weird and wonderful, Alessandro Molinengo and Fausto Gazzi have dedicated their lives to the curation of oddities. At their shop, The Nautilus, you’ll find an eclectic mix of antique scientific instruments and natural history vestiges. Medical instruments, religious insignia, taxidermied wildlife and antiquated anatomy guides. The shop itself acts as a museum of a scientific era gone by, and is certainly the epitome of ‘unusual’. Learn more.

3) Atelier Sul Mare

– Via Cesare Battisti 4, 98079 Castel di Tusa (ME), Sicily

Ever had one of those dreams where you’re inside a painting? The Museo Albergo Atelier sul Mare brings those dreams to life! This hotel-gallery hybrid is indeed one of the most unusual places in Italy. It has dedicated 20 rooms to internationally recognised artists. Each room is designed to make guests feel as though they’re living and sleeping ‘inside’ a work of art. That is to say, guests will lose themselves to the evocative, emotional marriage of landscape, culture and art. Learn more.

4) Museo delle Mummie

– Via della Rocca, Loc. Precetto, 05034 Ferentillo (TR), Umbria

This is another oddity that has to do with the dead. Ferrentillo hides a hair-raising collection of…well, mummies. Wander into the crypt beneath the Chiesa di Santo Stefano – if you dare – to the Museum of Mummies. Surprisingly, it’s the unique terroir in this crpyt that has naturally preserved the corpses buried here over centuries. Some of these poor souls have been displayed in different positions. Think about that for a second. They’d have had to do that before the bodies mummified! Learn more.

5) ATMosfera Tram Restaurant

– Piazza Castello 2, 20121 Milan, Lombardy

Azienda Trasporti Milanesi (ATM), Milan’s railway service, recently launched Italy’s first itinerant restaurant, ATMosfera. As a result, you can now enjoy the most unique meal of your life: on a restored antique tram travelling around the heart of Milan! You’ll enjoy a 4-course lunch or dinner during the 2-and-a-half hour trip from the Piazza Castello. What better way to spend a romantic evening, right? What’s more, trams leave every day! Learn more.

All in all, Italy has an amazing knack for combining the weird with the wonderful. While many of its more macabre attractions may unsettle you, it’s impossible to deny how fascinating they are!